Ash receiver



Jan. 24, 1967 M. BERLINER 3,300,079

ASH RECEIVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 10, 1965 F LLUJF INVENTOR. MARTIN BERLINER JOHN P. CHANDLER HIS ATTORNEY.

Jan. 24, 1967 M. BERLINER ASH RECEIVER Filed May 10, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.

INVENTOR MARTIN BERLINER JOHN P. CHANDLER HIS ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,300,079 ASH RECEIVER Martin Berliner, Forest Hills, N.Y. (100 Water St., Brooklyn, NY. 11375) Filed May 10, 1965, Ser. No. 454,363 2 Claims. (til. 220-205) This invention relates to ash receptacles and relates more particularly to a bowl-shaped ash receiver with a top plate having a wide, central opening, and a self centering domeshaped closure plate which can be tilted to deposit ashes into the receptacle and is provided with energetic spring means for restoring the tilted closure plate to a horizontal position wherein there is a fine, annular clearance between 21 depending rim on the closure plate and around the wide opening in the top plate.

In most instances, the tilitable closure plate will be circular and have a relatively flat, spherical upper surface but it can have any desired shape and contour. There is provided a center post which is hollow and contains a spring. The post has a flat, annular seat at its upper end and spring means are disposed within the post to urge the closure plate, or some projection rigidly carried thereby, against this annular seat with a clamping action. The closure plate may be displaced from its normal, horizontal position to a tilted position to allow ashes thereon to slide into the receptacle. This is done by applying downward pressure at any point around the periphery of the dome. When this pressure is released, the plate springs back to its normal position with a lively action. This annular seat can face upwardly and will comprise the upper end of the tubular post. Alternatively, it may face downwardly and be formed by flanging the upper end of the tube inwardly.

In one form of the invention, a tension spring is employed to urge the closure plate downwardly against this annular seat and in another form a compression spring urges a member rigidly carried below the plate, upwardly against the seat. In both forms of the invention, some member, such as a pilot element or other self-containing device, slidable with respect to the vertical bore in the post, retains the closure plate in a central position relative to the major axis of the post and to the central opening in the top plate. Since the pilot element and the closure plate carried thereby are maintained in almost perfect alignment with said axis of the post, this permits a hair line clearance between the top plate opening and the closure plate and renders unnecessary an absolutely hermetic seal to prevent combustion in the receptacle. In another form of the invention, the pilot element extends upwardly through the annular seat to its point of rigid connection with the closure plate and the annular seat faces downwardly, with spring means pushing the selfcentering device upwardly.

An important improvement is the spring urged means for restoring the closure plate to a horizontal, fully close-d position, and it includes, in one instance, a ball element in, and closely fitting, a bore in the central vertical post mounted in the receptacle. This ball element is secured to the closure plate and a tension spring, connected at one end to the ball, urges the plate downwardly, flat aaginst the annular seat at the upper end of the hollow post, in which relation the plate is horizontal.

If the reverse arrangement is preferred, the ball or other self-centering element is pushed upwardly by a compression spring within the hollow post, so that the closure plate is firmly but yieldingly urged against an annular seat at the upper end of the post, where the closure plate is in a truly horizontal position.

The self-closing, self centering receptacle of the present invention can be used by cigarette and cigar smokers but it is designed primarily for pipe smokers in that it ice provides an easily tiltable closure plate with fast return to closed horizontal position and also a firm anvil located atop the closure plate against which the smoker can knock the pipe for the removal ofspent tobacco.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ash receiver embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a central section taken thru the receptacle;

FIG. 3 is a section showing a modified arrangement of a housing for the ball;

FIG. 4 shows another modified arrangement;

FIG. 5 shows still another modified arrangement; and

FIG. 6 shows the second form of the invention where a disc rigidly carried below the closure cap is spring urged upwardly.

The pipe smokers ash receptacle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a bowl-shaped receptacle 10 with a base 11 and an inward-1y curved upper annular seat 12 which receives a sheet metal ring of special cross sectional contour and which may be drawn or spun. It includes an outer peripheral rim 14 with an external rib 16 to limit downward movement in the seat, a downwardly inclined top plate 18, radical recesses 19 for receiving pipes or cigars and an inwardly curved annular flange 17.

A center post 20 is rigidly mounted on the base and has a bore 21 extending downwardly from its upper end. A pin 22 passing through the post at the lower end of the bore secures the lower end of a tension spring 24 and whose upper end is attached to a stud 26 rigidly secured to a ball element 28. This ball is secured as by means of welding or otherwise to the lower face of a closure plate 29 which has a curved or spherical upper surface and a downwardly extending outer annular rim 30* whose lower margin is disposed just above the lower margin of annular flange 17.

The ball 28 has a diameter only slightly less than the diameter of bore 21 and is urged downwardly against-a flat annular seat 31 formed by the u per annular rim of the hollow post. There is also secured as by means of a suitable adhesive, a cap or anvil 32 of cork or other resilient material. Spent tobacco can be removed from a pipe bowl by knocking it against this anvil and it can also be used as a snufler for cigarettes.

It will be noted that there is a very small clearance 33 between the inner flange 30 and the surrounding flange 17 of the top plate. This clearance-is sufliciently small to permit access of only a small amount of air to the interior of the receptacle when the closure plate is in its normal horizontal position of FIG. 2 but is nevertheless wide enough to permit the closure plate to be depressed on one side, to permit the tobacco to slide into the interior, without encountering flange 17. In other words, with a spring 24 of just the correct tension, the dome-shaped closure plate makes a fast return to its horizontal position and must not be restrained by contact with the rim of the top plate opening.

The ball 28' of FIG. 3 is secured to the closure plate in the same fashion as before but in this instance the seat is formed by an inturned flange 34 at its upper end and thus forms a broader annular seat for the plate when urged downwardly by spring 24'. This seat is not so wide, however, as to prevent the ball 28' from projecting above the seat when the closure plate is pressed downwardly at a steep angle.

The ball of FIG. 2 is replaced in FIG. 4 by a disclike element 35 with a close but free sliding fit in the bore 36 in post 38. The dome-shaped closure plate 39 with its outer annular lip 40 is supported 'by a stud 41 with a rigid handle 42 at its upper end and the closure plate is urged against the seat 44 at upper end of the hollow post 46 by a tension spring 48 anchored at its lower end in crosspiece 47 and at its upper end it passes through a pin at the lower end of stud 41. The disc-like element or pilot 35 is of only slightly smaller diameter than bore 36 in the post 38. This disc keeps the closure p'late centered with regard to the post and the flange 49 of the top plate opening.

A conical member 58 is secured to the dome-shaped closure plate 51 of FIG. 5, the latter having a cork anvil 52. A link 53 connects member 58 with a disc 54 which engages a spring 55 at its lower end and an annular seat 56 at its upper end. This seat is formed in the hollow post 57 secured to the base wall.

The second form of the invention where a compression spring pushes an extension of the closure plate upwardly against an annular seat is shown in FIG. 6. The receptacle 60 is again of bowl shape and has inturned side walls 62 forming an annular seat 64 for a top plate 66 whose outer margin 69 has an annular rib 70 limiting downward movement of the top plate in the seat. It also has a downwardly inclined annular surface 71 ending in a wide central opening 72. A centering element or disc 73, similar to 35 of FIG. 4 and which is considered as part of the closure plate is disposed in a hollow post 74 with an inturned flange 76 at its upper end forming a downwardly facing flat annular seat for the closure cap 78. The cap is mounted on a headed pin 79 fixed in the disc 73 and carrying a finger piece 80 at its upper end.

In this instance,the disc is urged upwardly by a compression spring 81 whose lower end contacts the receptacle wall. A fiange82 at the lower end of the hollow post 74 is secured to this wall by rivets 84.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the inven 'tion, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

What I claim:

1. An ash receptacle including a bowl, a top plate with a central opening mounted on the bowl, a tiltable, self-centering dome-shaped closure plate within said opening and positioned in substantially the same plane as the opening and provided with lively means for restoring the plate to a horizontal position after tilting, said means including a hollow post mounted centrally in the bowl and formed with a flat annular horizontal seat at its upper end, a pilot element secured to the plate and closely fitting the -bore in the post and a tension spring secured to the pilot element and also at the lower end of the bore to yieldingly clamp the plate against the flat annular seat of the post in a horizontal position.

2. An ash receptacle including a bowl, a top plate Wit-h a central opening and a depending annular flange around the opening, a tiltable, self-centering dome-shaped closure plate within said opening and positioned in substantially the same plane as the opening and provided with lively means for restoring the plate to a horizontal position after tilting, said means including a post with a vertical bore mounted centrally in the bowl, a ball element secured to the plate and closely fitting the bore in the post, and a tension spring secured at one end to the ball element and at the other end of the bore to yieldingly clamp the plate against the upper end of the post in a horizontal position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,667,048 4/1928 Rawlings l3 l242 2,260,507 10/1941 Campbell 220-20.5 2,445,861 7/1948 Panzer 220-20.5 2,649,222 8/1953 Harwood 22O-20.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 796,106 1/1936 France. 387,444 2/1933 Great Britain.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Examiner. 

1. AN ASH RECPTACLE INCLUDING A BOWL, A TOP PLATE WITH A CENTRAL OPENING MOUNTED ON THE BOWL, A TILTABLE, SELF-CENTERING DOME-SHAPED CLOSURE PLATE WITHIN SAID OPENING AND POSITIONED IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PLANE AS THE OPENING AND PROVIDED WITH LIVELY MEANS FOR RESTORING THE PLATE TO A HORIZONTAL POSITION AFTER TILTING, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A HOLLOW POST MOUNTED CENTRALLY IN THE BOWL AND FORMED WITH A FLAT ANNULAR HORIZONTAL SEAT AT ITS UPPER END, A PILOT ELEMENT SECURED TO THE PLATE AND CLOSELY FIT- 